Heney o



UNTTED STATES PATENT Crrrcn.

HENRY O. CANFIELD, OF BRIDGEPOR'I, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORTO THE CANFIELD RUBBER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,050, dated November 15, 1887. Application filed April 13, 1887. Serial No. 234,674. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. CANFIELD, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bustles and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in bustles.

The object of my present invention is to provide a bustle which will be rendered comfortable to the wearer by yielding-to pressure incidental to a sitting posture, and resuming a perfect form when pressure is relaxed, thus restoring the depending drapery of the wearer to their normal prominence or position.

A further object is to construct a bustle that, while it is rendered collapsible, will be simple in its constructive features and of a low initial cost.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings making a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the bustle. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the lower portion of the bustle.

A A represents a pair of body-strips, preferably made of elastic or spring metal, that are incased with a proper fibrous envelope, which is made to extend as a border, I) b, on each side edge of these strips. The outer edges, 1), of this casing are not absolutely necessary other than to provide an ornamental appearance. The inner projecting edges, b, are furnished at spaced intervals with eyelets c c, which are designed to receive the cord B, that is intended to adapt the contour of the bustle to change the degree of prominence of the drapery that is supportedby it.

Upon the face of the body-strips A A the eyelet-bars C are preferably secured by flexible loops (1, which'are eyeleted or otherwise suitably secured to the strips and bars to afford a yielding attachment of these pieces together. I do not desire to restrict myself to a flexible or yielding connection of the bars and body-strips, as it is evident that these pieces maybe rigidly connected at theiredges and answer the purpose for which they are designed.

The eyeletbars C are designed to retain in proper position the spring strips or reeds D, which latter are secured at their ends to said bars, and have a vibratory movement that is preferably effected by eyeletsinserted in perforations made for their reception in the ends of the elastic strips D and the body of the bars C. The spaced strips D are connected at or near their centers to a tape, E, or other flexible strip, by means of eyelets or rivets, this connection of parts being made to hold the several spring-strips D, spaced at their centers, and permit-them to be retained in position and moved together. Upon the two upper spring -strips, D, the diagonally-projecting bow-springs D are pivoted, or secured to rock on their points of attachment.

In order to make the device:collapsible,and thus render it comfortable when the wearer is in a sitting posture, the plate-springs F F are attached by their upper ends to the bod y strips AA, and to the lower spring'st rip, D, at the points G.

It will be seen that the two plate-springs F F are by their secured position extended from the body-strips in amanner to hold the engaged lower spring-strip, D, about at a right angle to the vertical eyelet-bars C,with a slight tensional strain upon this lower strip, D, which insures its depression to normal position,when

it is made to vibrate upwardly by the wearer of the bustle assuming a sitting position, which will cause such an action of parts in an obvious manner. The springs F F will be bent into U shape, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the tensional strength of the springs F F return them to an extended form after the wearer of the bustle arises, the several springs or reeds D, that form the projecting portion of this skirt-supporter, will be caused to rest in planes substantially, parallel to each other, by reason of their pivotal joints and the connection effected by the tape E. The bustle is further provided with the ordinary means of attachment to the person shown in the belt or strip of flexible material H, to

plate-springs, each of which is secured at its upper end to one of said body-strips and at I5 its lower end to one of said spring-strips at a point between its respective body'strip and the tape, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 2o ing witnesses.

HEN Y O. GANFIELD.

Vitnesses:

G. E. Memos, S. B. LEWIS. 

